Château de Cirey

However he sided with Gaston, Duke of Orléans in his intrigues against Louis XIII, fell from favour and was condemned to death by quartering.

The castle became famous in the second half of the 18th century when it was the home of the Marquis Florent-Claude du Châtelet, Count of Lemout, Seigneur von Cirey.

He was a lieutenant general in the army of Louis XV and had married the 18 year-old Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil in 1724.

When Voltaire arrived in 1734 he found a somewhat run-down building in the style of Louis XIII in red brick and pale stone.

[3][4] In the following years, until the early death of Madame du Châtelet in 1749, Cirey was a meeting point for literati and intellectuals from every part of France.

[5] The chateau stands on the bank of the river Blaise and consists of the main building and a large southwestern outer bailey.

One of the oldest private theaters in France is located on the top floor, set up by Voltaire in 1735 to rehearse the plays he wrote during those years.

Access to the main castle is via a pavilion-like gatehouse with a round arched archway on the east side of the service yard.